Publish date: 9 July 2025
First NHS trust in the north east to introduce reusable suture kits
In a move towards more sustainable practice, the emergency department (ED) at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital (NSECH) in Cramlington has introduced reusable suture kits to treat patients that require stitches. 
Single-use suture kits have been used in healthcare for many years and are still widely used in trusts across the country. The kits contain four tools that can be used to stitch wounds however despite not all the tools being used on every patient the whole kit must be discarded once opened.
Switching to reusable suture kits allows the kit to be sterilised before re-use, eliminating the need to throw it away. With a 15-year lifespan, the kits are more durable and of a higher quality that improves the ergonomics, creating a more comfortable feel for staff when using the tools.
One of the key factors that supports the use of reusable kits at NSECH is being able to sterilise the products on site. The Northumbria Sterile Processing Centre is located on the same site as the ED allowing for a sterilisation turn around time of 24 hours and cutting costs on transport and fuel.
Making the switch creates an annual CO2 saving equivalent to six trips up and down the UK in an average car and an approximate financial saving of £350 per year.
An initial 12 reusable kits have been ordered, which when compared to the 1400 that were used in 2023 is a significant reduction. Payback on investment is estimated to be within the first year of making the change.
The switch was prompted by the accreditation criteria from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s GreenED programme which the ED was recently the first in the country to be accredited gold.
James Walton, consultant in ED, said: “In the 15 years I’ve been qualified, I’ve only ever used single-use suture kits, so it’s been a long time coming to find an alternative and more sustainable option. The biggest challenge will be changing staff behaviour when using the kits but understanding the positive environmental and financial impacts will support people to make the change.”
Clare Winter, head of sustainability, said: “Emergency departments are resource heavy due to the nature of the work but that doesn’t mean we can’t take action to identify areas to make sustainable improvements. Making the switch to reusable suture kits is just another step towards achieving net zero by 2040.”
The Northumbria Net Zero action plan sets out how the trust plans to achieve net zero status.
Media contact
Louise Alexander, social media and digital assistant
Louise.Alexander@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk